Highland Councillors will be asked to consider three fall back options if there is insufficient interest from the independent sector in providing 160 bed spaces currently provided at seven Council-owned residential homes or if the costs are not affordable.
Members of the Council’s Care Home Sub-Committee were told by Arthur McCourt, Chief Executive, that the Council could:
- Rebuild Invernevis House, Fort William; Duthac House, Tain; Urray House, Muir of Ord; Burnside, Inverness; Ach-an-Eas, Inverness; Grant House, Grantown; and the Wade Centre, Kingussie to the same size at a cost of £18.6 million, with an estimated annual running cost of £4.2 million;
- Build five new 32-bed capacity homes – across Mid/East Ross, Fort William; Inverness and Badenoch and Strathspey at a cost of £18.9 million, with an estimated annual running cost of around £4.2 million; or
- Refurbish the seven homes at a cost of £6.9 million, with decant costs in excess of £2.5 million and estimated annual running costs of £4.2 million.
The implications of the contingency options were that the Council would require to (a) increase savings targets; (b) increase the Council Tax or (c) replace projects currently in the Council’s five-year capital programme.
He told the Sub-Committee that the procurement exercise was the only option which would deliver the four main criteria of: -
- Meeting new standards;
- Delivering high intensity and nursing services;
- Releasing resources for home care and sheltered housing;
- Not requiring additional capital funding.
A full Business Case would be presented to the Council meeting on Thursday 4 May, when councillors would be asked to sign off the tender process.
He reminded the Sub-Committee that the rationale behind the tender exercise was to recognise the projected increase in the number of older people, particularly those over 75 and dependent on care, and to readjust spending and services to meet modern care needs. Most older people wanted care in their own homes and there was a need to provide more home care and sheltered housing in Highland.
Given that the Council’s spending allocation was unlikely to increase, resources needed to be freed by efficiencies and reducing the cost of delivering care.
He highlighted that 80% of residential care provided by the Council was purchased from the independent sector, who could provide care at significantly less cost than the Council.
In meeting new care standards, the Council was spending £1.5 million on cares homes at Golspie, Melvich, Strontian and Thurso and a further £3.5 million was earmarked for a phased upgrading of another nine rural homes.
The Council believed the independent sector would be interested in providing residential care in bigger homes in the more urban areas.
He said councillors would be asked to progress the tender process at a full council meeting on 4 May. Between November and February, next year, tenders would be subject to evaluation and in March, next year, the best solution would be identified and implemented.